Court defers verdict on Zardari’s plea

By Asghar Ali Mubarak

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad accountability court will announce a verdict on former president Asif Ali Zardari’s plea for quashing three supplementary references against him on September 23.
The court was to announce its verdict in the Park Lane, mega money laundering, and Thatta water supply references today (Sept 18). However, it deferred the verdict until September 23.
Accountability Judge Azam Khan had last week deferred indictment of the PPP co-chairman in the Park Lane supplementary reference after he moved an application requesting deferment of framing of charges until his plea for quashing the reference is decided.
The former president was indicted in the main Park Lane case on August 10.
However, he is yet to be indicted in the supplementary reference that the national graft buster filed against him and 19 other accused in the case.
According to NAB, the Park Lane company was used as a “front company” to siphon off ill-gotten money. He along with his sister Faryal Talpur has also been named in the money laundering case involving Rs4.4 billion embezzlement.
The Thatta water supply company case pertains to illegal award of a contract by the Sindh Special Initiative Department for water supply scheme in Thatta to a private contractor, Harish & Co.